"But If
The Doctor And His Wife," Said The Chiefs And Counsellors, "Would
Come And Live With Us, We Would Remove To The Highlands At Once, As
Moselekatse Would Not Attack A Place Where The Daughter Of His
Friend, Moffat, Was Living."
The Makololo are by far the most intelligent and enterprising of the
tribes we have met.
None but brave and daring men remained long with
Sebituane, his stern discipline soon eradicated cowardice from his
army. Death was the inevitable doom of the coward. If the chief saw
a man running away from the fight, he rushed after him with amazing
speed, and cut him down; or waited till he returned to the town, and
then summoned the deserter into his presence. "You did not wish to
die on the field, you wished to die at home, did you? you shall have
your wish!" and he was instantly led off and executed. The present
race of young men are inferior in most respects to their fathers.
The old Makololo had many manly virtues; they were truthful, and
never stole, excepting in what they considered the honourable way of
lifting cattle in fair fight. But this can hardly be said of their
sons; who, having been brought up among the subjected tribes, have
acquired some of the vices peculiar to a menial and degraded race. A
few of the old Makololo cautioned us not to leave any of our property
exposed, as the blacks were great thieves; and some of our own men
advised us to be on our guard, as the Makololo also would steal. A
very few trifling articles were stolen by a young Makololo; and he,
on being spoken to on the subject, showed great ingenuity in excusing
himself, by a plausible and untruthful story. The Makololo of old
were hard workers, and did not consider labour as beneath them; but
their sons never work, regarding it as fit only for the Mashona and
Makalaka servants. Sebituane, seeing that the rival tribes had the
advantage over his, in knowing how to manage canoes, had his warriors
taught to navigate; and his own son, with his companions, paddled the
chief's canoe. All the dishes, baskets, stools, and canoes are made
by the black tribes called Manyeti and Matlotlora. The houses are
built by the women and servants. The Makololo women are vastly
superior to any we have yet seen. They are of a light warm brown
complexion, have pleasant countenances, and are remarkably quick of
apprehension. They dress neatly, wearing a kilt and mantle, and have
many ornaments. Sebituane's sister, the head lady of Sesheke, wore
eighteen solid brass rings, as thick as one's finger, on each leg,
and three of copper under each knee; nineteen brass rings on her left
arm, and eight of brass and copper on her right, also a large ivory
ring above each elbow. She had a pretty bead necklace, and a bead
sash encircled her waist. The weight of the bright brass rings round
her legs impeded her walking, and chafed her ankles; but, as it was
the fashion, she did not mind the inconvenience, and guarded against
the pain by putting soft rag round the lower rings.
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